Improvement in railway-car couplings



L. & J. K. HUDDLE. Gar.00up1ing. No. 111,123. v Patented Jan. 24, 1871.

Jizrerz/r N.PETER$, PHOTO-L THOGRAPHER WASHINGTON D C UNITED STATESPATENT QFFIGE.

LEWIS HUDDLE AND JACOB K. HUDDL'E, OF TIFFIN, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN RAILWAY-CAR COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 111,123, dated January24, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, Lnwrs HUDDLE and J AGOB K. HUDDLE, of Tifiin, inthe county of Seneca and State of Ohio, have invented a new and ImprovedGar-Coupling; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full,clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theaccompanying drawing, making part of this specification, in which-Figure 1 is a perspective view of the vimproved coupling, the rearsprings of which are broken away. Fig. 2is a plan view, showing one ofthe buffers and its rear spring complete, and a portion of the otherbuffer broken away. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section through one of thebuffers, showing it separated to allow the coupling-pin to be removed.Fig. 4Lis an end view of one of the buffers.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the severalfigures.

This invention relates to certain improvements on railroad-carcouplings, which, in the event of one car leaving the track, willautomatically uncouple, and which will also couple automatically whenone car is caused to abut against another on the track.

Our invention consists of an improvement in the divided couplingdraw-heads patented by Hentield, September 3. 1867.

First, we have improved said draw-heads by applying springs on theoutside of the halves of the head, and connecting them to a rod in sucha manner that they act as auxiliaries to aid the spring for closing thehalves.

Second, by applying the toggle-lever, which is used for opening thehalves of the drawhead, forward of the fulcrum upon which the halvesopen, whereby the draw-head may be made much shorter and still be underthe control of the attendant.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand our invention, we willdescribe its construction and operation.

In the accompanying drawing, Figs. 1 and 2, we have represented two ofthe improved buffers coupled by means of a round doubleheaded pin, P,and as both buffers are constructed precisely alike a description of onewill apply to the other. Each buffer is composed of twolongitudinally-divided halves, A A, which are held together by means ofside springs S S and arear V-shaped spring, S. The

ends of -the V-shaped spring S are cast into the rear ends of the halvesA A, or otherwise secured thereto, and the springs S S are ap plied tothe vertical sides of the buffer and held by means of a transverse bar,8, and nuts 12 02. These latter springs are preferably made of thesemi-elliptical form, and theirextremities are fitted into oblongrecesses made into the vertical sides of the buffer. By means of thethree springs above described, the two parts composing the buffer areheld forcibly together, as represented in Figs. 1, 2, and 4. The frontenlarged end of this buffer presents a conical or pyramidal depression,terminating at its apex in a round hole, which is of less which recessesreceive the couplingpin head,

and allow vertical as well as longitudinal motion.

The surfaces surrounding the flaring depression a in the buffer-head, aswell as the surfaces surrounding the hole and forming the interiorshoulder, may be cast on a chill, so as not to readily wear away by theaction of the coupling-pin.

Instead of a single flaring mouth or depression, a, two or more may beformed into the buffer-head, each one terminating backward in a circularpassage, a shoulder, and an interior depression to receive thecoupling-pin. This will adapt the buffer to cars having platforms ofdifferent heights.

On top of the buffer, and near its enlarged head, are two ears, I) b,one on each section A, and to these cars levers c d are jointed, whichlevers are jointed together above the central line of the buffer. Theextension cl of lever 61 affords a handle by which to press down uponthe levers, and thereby spread the sections A -A apart, as shown in Fig.3, thereby allowing the head of the coupling-pin to be removed from thebuffer. For freight-cars a rod leading from the lever-extension d to thetop of the car will be employed, so that the uncoupling can be effectedby a person on top of the car.

The coupling-pin P is round at evcry point, and is terminated by conicalheads 19 p. The shaft of this pin is largest at the middle of itslength, and tapers to the circular shoulders at the bases of the conicalheads p 1), thus leaving behind said shoulders the circular necks of thepins, which are loosely embraced by the walls of the opening 0 when apin is held by the buffer.

The ends of the heads of the pin, acting against the flaring sides ofthe depression a in the end of the buffer, will spread apartthe sectionsor halves A A, and allow cars to be coupled by simply bringing themtogether; and in the event of a car leaving the track the pin P will actas a lever against both of the sections AA, spread these sections apart,and become uncoupled.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination of the rod 8 and springs S S with the draw-headhalves A A, substantially in the manner described.

2. The combination of the toggle-lever c d d, draw-head halves A A, andU spring S, the said parts being so combined that the toggle-lever isplaced forward of the spring-fulcrum of the draw-head, all as described.

3. The combination of the draw-head halves A A, spring S, toggle-lever cd, springs S S, and rod 8, substantially in the manner described.

LEWIS HUDDLE. JACOB K. HUDDLE.

Witnesses:

HARRISON NOBLE, WARREN P. NOBLE.

